The horror of the Walking Dead

TG Daily Staff, 5th September 2012

Walking Dead show runner Glen Mazzara says zombie fans should look forward to a "very adrenalized" season three when the wildly popular series kicks off again this October.

"All these horrible things are being thrown at our characters at such a relentless pace that the audience won't be able to catch their breath and figure out what's going on," Mazzara explained in a recent AMC dispatch. "So I think it's just the idea that you are immersed in this apocalypse, and there really is no escape."

According to Mazzara, the number one rule he consistently follows is not so much keeping the zombies scary, but keeping the show frightening.

"[Yes, the zombies] are always a horror but as our folks learn to live with them, the new horror becomes what people will do to survive and to protect each other in this world - and what they're willing to sacrifice to achieve their ambition. So it's very much a human drama, and I think these new characters, particularly The Governor, certainly do play into that," he said.

"The Governor has to feel real. He needs to be a person who has a real soul and has a depth and intelligence, and he's not just a cardboard arch-villain who's going to play as a foil to our characters. I think David Morrissey is doing a phenomenal job finding the humanity in that character and by having that humanity so prevalent when he commits atrocious acts, I think they'll be that much more horrifying."

Mazzara also commented on the "Ricktatorship" and how he would characterize Rick's leadership.

"Rick's reign is initially successful in the fact that they do discover this prison and that proves at first that Rick was right that there's a place out there that perhaps they can be safe.

"The question becomes how far can he push the group? What is the breaking point? And Rick will certainly have to deal with how far can he push himself and what is his breaking point."

Last, but certainly not least, Mazzara confirmed the show would be introducing additional characters - like Michonne and The Governor - both in October and across future seasons.

"There are a lot of fantastic characters throughout Robert Kirkman's book that we're dying to bring to life. Some will be introduced in this season and some will be introduced in later seasons. It's our intention to bring all those major characters to life," he added.